BRICS nations commit to knowledge sharing

2013, October 13 - Members of the BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC) have agreed to establish a databank that will help the bloc of emerging national economies to share knowledge across a wide range of fields

This emerged after the BTTC’s two-day meeting before.

Speaking at the meeting, held near Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, South African Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana, alluded to the important role the BTTC could play in using the intellectual resources of its networks.

This would allow the bloc to consolidate ideas and research from wherever they are generated across the spectrum of Brics interests, and make sense of them for practical implementation and advancement of the Brics agenda.

Manana said the BTTC must serve as the brains behind Brics’ strategic decisions.

“Going forward, the success of Brics will be dependent on the quality of its work and advice. There are high expectations of the BTTC.

“It is, therefore, important that this council of intellectuals is able to work together and to seek solutions to intricate international problems,” he said.

The meeting also shared progress on the achievements of the five think tanks since March 2013. It adopted the terms of reference for the functioning of the BTTC and reviewed the vision and long-term strategy for Brics, which will be finalised prior to the Sixth Brics Summit for consideration by the respective governments.

The BTTC comprises think tanks from the bloc’s five member states [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa]. It was established through the adoption of a declaration that called for increased ministerial meetings on the sidelines of international conferences and events. The declaration also called for the formation of a platform for the exchange of ideas among researchers, academia and think tanks.

The declaration was adopted by the Brics leaders at the eThekwini Summit on 27 March 2013.

It also encouraged convening the annual Brics Academic Forum, making policy recommendations and giving guidance to Brics leaders.